


Lost & Found

by TheMindGamer



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Video Game)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Canon Compliant, Fantasy, Gen, Pirates, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-08
Updated: 2019-07-08
Packaged: 2020-06-24 10:57:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19722268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMindGamer/pseuds/TheMindGamer
Summary: They always told me that bein' a mercenary was a rough gig, but ah can't say I ever had much choice in the matter. Some twenty odd years ago, this fat cat Gormotti came 'round lookin for muscle for some odd job, and well, ah jumped at the chance. Like arranged, me an' Roc set off for Echell a year later. We weren't expectin' to be whisked off on some secret quest lookin' fer lost treasure, fightin' off pirates, and fishin up one of the most incredible things I ever seen. That job changed me. Part o' why I started this mercenary band.





	Lost & Found

“Gwoaaaah!!”

“Gwoooooaaaaahhhhh!!”

“Gwooooooooooaaaaaaa-ACK HEY!”

“Will you shut up?!” Roc squawked from the top bunk. “Some of us are trying to sleep.”

Vandham rubbed his noggin and picked up the wooden box that Roc had bounced off his forehead. “Ah can’t help it. We’ve been on this bloody boat fer so long, even me cramps ‘ave cramps.”

Roc sighed draping his feathered arm off the side of bunk. “Okay, I get it. Three weeks here is a long time for someone who can’t fly, but if you must do that, at least go outside.”

“Fine,” Vandham muttered rolling out of the lower bunk. He took special care in not slamming his still stinging forehead into the bottom of the upper bunk’s banister. He’d done that more times than he could count already. It was never fun being a big guy at sea.

Tossing the empty box over his shoulder back onto the bed, he took the precious three paces across the room and opened the hatch. The scent of the cloud sea filled his nostrils as he stepped out onto the deck and marched forward yawning into his hand. He rested his palms on the short railing as he examined the distinctive horned head peeking over the horizon. It reminded Vandham how long a way back it was to Uraya. Normally, a trip to Gormott wouldn't take so long, but the two titans were at their farthest at this time of year. Just finally seeing the place made Vandham innards tingle with anticipation, though. He wasn’t exactly privy to the details of his newest job yet, but it promised to be an interesting gig nonetheless.

Vandham yawned again and stretched out a few of his stiff muscles. Roc had the right idea, but there was just no sleeping in that bed. Vandham groaned again. He was already growing impatient with the empty horizon. Not content to just stare at nothing all morning, Vandham turned with a vague notion that perhaps the crew could use some coal shoveled or boxes moved. Anything that could get his blood pumping would be a welcome distraction for Vandham. He blinked at the man with long, red hair leaning against the wall directly behind him.

“Gaah!” Vandham shouted leaping backward and clutching his heart. Forgetting that there was nowhere to leap to, his ass pressed against the rail, and he windmilled his arms attempting to not fall backwards overboard. The man reached out and grabbed Vandham’s vest pulling him back toward the boat. “Where the bloody ‘ell did you come from?!” Vandham shouted.

The red-haired man raised an eyebrow. “I’ve been here the entire time,” he said chuckling. Vandham recognized him as the salvager who had boarded when they stopped at the Voltis Trade Guild. He closed a small notebook he had apparently been writing in and tucked it into a pouch at his waist before leaning back against the wall and stroking the short beard on his chin. His golden eyes regarded Vandham with a level of smugness that Vandham only wished he could exude. He was an odd looking fellow. “Exotic” might have been a better word for it, but Vandham wasn’t one to sweat those kinds of details. Seeing the tattoos on his face up close, however, finally confirmed something the Urayan had already suspected.

“Didn’t know your kind eva’ came up for air,” Vandham said.

The man frowned. “My kind?” he repeated.

Vandham scratched his neck realizing that might not have been the nicest thing to say. “You’re Tantalese, right? Ah’ve just never seen one before.”

“I see...” the man said. “I get that a lot.”

“Right,” Vandham muttered. “I guess I owe you for the… uhh…” He pointed back toward the cloud sea with his thumb. “The… uhh… save…”

A smug grin that pissed Vandham off replaced the frown. “Don’t worry about it, chum,” the Tantalese man replied. “Perhaps making sure you’re awake next time you come out here might help, though.”

Vandham scowled. “I was plenty awake,” he protested knowing full well it wasn’t true, “and what about you? D’ya always get up this early?”

“Don’t you? Early is when all the productive people wake up, after all,” the Tantalese man replied raising a condescending eyebrow. He placed his hands behind his head and reclined against the wall as he continued to speak. “I was making preparations for something, but now that I’ve finished, I suppose I can be entertained.” He resumed grinning again as though he were expecting some kind of show.

The man’s self-importance was pissing Vandham off. He bit his tongue, but an insult still escaped under his breath. “Preparations? Z’at have something to do with why you’re going to Gormott?” Vandham asked.

“Yes, actually,” the man said. “I take it you’re on mercenary business?”

Vandham nodded. “Yeah. I got a little something with this fat cat Gormotti. Needs a bit of muscle. The name’s Vandham, by the way,” he said pointing at himself with his thumb.

“My name is Log,” the Tantalese man replied. “I’m the best salvager in Voltis.” He flashed his smug smile once more.

“‘Log’?” Vandham repeated scratching his head. “Ya’ mean like a tree?”

Log’s smug grin faulted. “No! Not like a tree!” he said through gritted teeth. “‘Loooaggg,’ with a long ‘o’.”

“Right. Not seein’ the difference, but whatever yah say, Lawg,” Vandham replied brushing off the remark. Log fumed at this which gave Vandham a petty sense of satisfaction. Yawning again, Vandham rolled his shoulder. “So how long yah think we’ve got?” he asked motioning toward the titan’s horns on the horizon.

Log stroked his chin in thought. “Maybe two… three hours,” he replied.

Vandham slumped. “The hell am ah gonna do for three hours?” he asked sighing. Log gave no answer, so the pair fell silent.

“So how long have you been a driver, eh?” Log asked after a few minutes of staring out at the cloud sea.

“Huh?” Vandham asked looking back up.

“You’ve got a pretty unique-looking blade,” Log added. “I was wondering how you came about it.”

“Ya’ mean Roc? We bonded not long after I joined me first mercenary squad. Ah got em off a parasax, and we’ve been mates since,” Vandham said with a chuckle.

“You don’t meet a lot of Urayans who think of their blades as friends,” Log said tugging at his beard.

“Well, he helps me put food on the table for me mum, and ‘e kept me from bitin’ the dust more an once,” Vandham said tracing the rivets on the wall with his gaze. “If that ain’t a mate, I don’t know what is.”

Log laughed. “I suppose I can relate.”

“Wait, does’at mean you’re a driver, too?” Vandham asked his brow furrowing.

“Oh, no. I don’t have potential,” Log replied with a wave of his hand. “My father is a driver, but his blade tends to be pretty quiet and withdrawn. I was actually talking about my wife.”

“Wife? You’re married?” Vandham asked. “You don’t look the type.”

“I see… Sorry if I disappointed you,” Log replied with a sly if not smug grin.

Confused by the remark, Vandham paused. It took a moment to mull the implication before it clicked and caused his face to curdle in distaste. “Why you-!” he shouted before being interrupted.

Something cast a large shadow over the ship prompting Vandham and Log to both look up. Someone on deck started frantically ringing a bell, and suddenly, the entire crew seemed to be swarming about. Meanwhile, Vandham simply stared up clenching his fists as a second, much larger vessel drifted down toward them. Roc poked his beak out the hatch to their room.

“What’s with all the noise? What’s going on?” Roc asked looking around.

“Pirates,” Vandham replied as he watched the black flag thrashing in the wind. “Get ready, Roc.”

“Can’t a bird ever get some rest?” Roc grumbled. He swooped back into the room returning only moments later with their twin scythes. He handed them to Vandham as the second ship settled directly overhead. Rope ladders dropped from the sides, and the armed men began descending.

Vandham threw one of the scythes at a rope ladder cutting it near the top and sending two of the pirates screaming down into the cloud sea below. As Roc flew out to retrieve it, Vandham whirled around. A yellow nopon in a striped shirt and four ardanian men had managed board. They waved their swords above their heads, but not one seemed to be a driver. Roaring, Vandham charged and grabbed one of the Ardanians by the collar before tossing him overboard along with the others.

As the Ardanian pirates all turned to face Vandham, he hooked his scythe around the foot of one and brought him to the ground. He then whirled around crashing the hard bulb on the scythe’s shaft into a third Ardanian’s head. Vandham sighed as he surveyed the tiny deck. There were now eight pirates advancing on him.

The sound of wingbeats told Vandham that Roc had returned. He held out his hand and the birdman blade deposited the second scythe into it. “Alright. Let’s get to it, then,” Vandham muttered more to himself than Roc.

“AHOOOOY!!!” a new voice shouted from above. A moment later a burly figure with large white beard and a hook slammed onto the deck. His coattails flapped in the wind. “Who be lookin’ fer a fight?! Ye scurvy dogs ain’t no match fer Frostbeard!” His core crystal glowed with an intensity only rivaled by the gleaming of his crooked teeth. He belted out a laugh as he adjusted his tricorn grinning like a madman.

Vandham gritted his teeth. A blade meant a driver was soon to follow, and while he was certain he could have handled the pirates before, adding a driver to the mix could tip things in their favor.

“You’re looking a little outnumbered, chum,” Log said stepping forward and shaking his head in a way that made his hair flutter. He brandished what appeared to be a metal ball on the end of a stick. As he walked closer the ball the detached. It floated a short distance from the stick still connected by what appeared to be an ether tether.

“I thought you said you weren’t a driver?” Vandham asked.

“I’m not. Sometimes you find interesting things while salvaging, though,” Log replied with his smug grin. “You can leave these smallfry to me. Deal with that blade.”

Vandham nodded before turning back. “Ya say you want a fight?!” he shouted. “Well look over here!” Frostbeard who had been terrorizing a crewman turned around. When he caught sight of Vandham, he bared his crooked teeth once more then charged.

As Frostbeard barreled toward them with his hook raised, Vandham readied his scythes. Not giving the buccaneer the first strike, Vandham sidestepped at the last moment dragging his scythe across the blade’s chest. He glanced back expecting to have felled the blade only to find the head of his scythe encased in ice. Frostbeard seemed a little rattled as he snarled back. Vandham struck the scythe with the second shattering the ice just in time to block Frostbeard’s second attack.

Frostbeard slashed with the sharpened outer edge of his hook crashing it into the crossed blades of Vandham’s scythes. The blade was every bit as strong as he looked, but Vandham remained steadfast. He brought his foot back to better brace himself against the pressure, but instead of supporting him, it slid away and Vandham tumbled onto his back. Frostbeard laughed.

“Cheap trick!” Vandham shouted as he realized the ice blade had frozen the ground behind him. Frostbeard just continued to guffaw as he raised his hook to strike. A blast of wind pushed him back.

“Must I do everything myself?” Roc said flying over Vandham. He airlifted the scythes into his talons then rocketed high into the air before crashing them back down on top of Frostbeard.

Frostbeard grunted as he guarded with his hook. “Aye always wanted a stuffed parrot fer me shoulder!” he chided after a moment.

“You might consider a breath mint instead,” Roc replied.

Frostbeard’s jaw dropped. “Oy, what’s wrong with me breath?” he said before heaving into his hand and sniffing.

Roc made no response and retreated to the air. Frostbeard’s head swiveled around searching for his opponent. He growled upon spotting Roc flying out above the cloud sea.

“Stop ye flyin’ around and fight me like a man,” Frostbeard shouted shaking his fist.

“Give me any reason that would be a good idea,” Roc said.

Frostbeard blinked. “Uhh… If yah come back down, ah’ll give yah a cracker!” he shouted in reply.

“No. You can keep your crackers,” Roc replied throwing a scythe at the buccaneer blade. Frostbeard braced himself to guard against it, but Roc formed a small tornado that caught the sickle just before striking. He suspended it in place still spinning. Frostbeard paused and lowered his weapon to squint and frown in obvious confusion. He leaned forward, and Roc suddenly let the scythe fly toward Frostbeard’s head. The buccaneer blade yelped as he barely avoided it taking his head along with his hat.

“Argh! That be cheatin!” Frostbeard shouted running in circles from the sickle.

The ether congealed in front of Frostbeard forming a wheeled cannon. The pirate dove behind it and Roc’s scythe smashed into the metal siding. Laughing, Frostbeard popped back up and plopped his tricorn back on. He then whirled the cannon to face Roc and yanked the fuse. The cannon shot what appeared to be a giant snowball toward Roc. Roc swooped below it, but Frostbeard aimed the cannon and fired another round. Roc was agile enough that the volley of cannonballs couldn’t hit him, but Frostbeard’s continued onslaught was enough to prevent any wind manipulation.

Roc threw his remaining scythe. “You’ll have to do better than that!” Frostbeard shouted as he ducked behind the cannon. Vandham, however, knew Roc wasn’t aiming for the blade.

Vandham dove past Log who was cracking the skull of one of the pirates with his flail. Catching the thrown scythe and scooping up the one from the floor, Vandham spun around and crashed shaft opposite the scythe’s blade into Frostbeard’s head. The buccanneer blade groaned and staggered back. Vandham rushed forward to finish the job.

“Attention patrons!” a tall, dark-skinned Ardanian man called out distracting Vandham from the final blow. “You’ve been boarded by the Harmon Pirates! I’m your host: Captain Moby C. Harmon, and it’ll be my pleasure to take your stuff!”

“Shiver me timbers! These bilge rats be givin’ me a rough time of it, Cap’n!” Frostbeard shouted clutching his head.

Harmon swung down and landed next to the buccaneer blade. “A driver? This might prove a little more interesting than I thought,” he said as he regarded Vandham over the rims of his sunglasses. Frostbeard handed the bald Ardanian his hook as Vandham spied a second one hanging from Harmon’s waist.

Vandham squinted. “What’s an Ardanian pirate ship doing all the way out here?” he asked as Log strode up beside him.

“Don’t tell me you haven’t heard the rumors. You Urayans seem to always know this sort of thing in advance,” Harmon replied.

“Care to fill me in?” Log asked looking at Vandam from the corner of his eye.

“They’re sayin’ Mor Ardain is gearin’ up for war. Their titan is dying. Folks think they’re gonna seize Gormott.” Vandham said.

“I see. So these pirates are just rhoguls staking out for the scraps,” Log muttered.

“Call us what you like, but it doesn’t change a thing,” Harmon replied. “Mottlelottle!” he called out.

“Wazzit, Cap’n!?” someone replied. The yellow nopon in the striped shirt dashed from below deck carrying a bag of gromrice larger than himself.

“What would a blade like that go for on the black market?” Harmon asked motioning at Roc.

“Well…” Mottlelottle said pulling an abacus from seemingly nowhere. “It’s not much to look at, but has unique weapon. We could probably get… 200,000 gold for core crystal.”

“200,000? That’s a pretty good haul,” Harmon said stroking his chin.

“If you wanna get to Roc, you’re gonna have to go through me first!” Vandham bellowed.

“Well, that is the plan,” Harmon said smiling. The pirate captain lunged forward bringing the hook on his right hand toward Vandham’s left. Vandham blocked the blow with the shaft of his scythe and slashed with his free arm. Harmon, in turn, blocked the attack with the wrist guard of his hook. Harmon swept his boot forward catching Vandham in the shin, but Vandham’s own thick boots absorbed most of the impact.

The two broke apart and began circling the deck as they each watched for an opening. Even after a full minute, Vandham could spot nothing. He would have to be tricky with this opponent. He dove forward bringing both scythes down on Harmon. Harmon crossed his hooks above his head catching the crooks between the shaft and blade exactly as Vandham expected. The mercenary slammed his own forehead against the smooth surface of Harmon’s skull.

Harmon staggered backward, but Vandham followed. Instead of trying to make distance, Harmon dashed forward and bashed his shoulder into Vandham’s chest. He was now too close to attack with the scythe, so Vandham dropped one and smashed his fist into Harmon’s jaw. The pirate retreated a few paces backward.

“Not bad,” Harmon said taking a few slower steps back and spitting blood. “Boys!” he said addressing the dazed crew. “Pack it up! We’re leaving!”

“C-cap’n!?” Frostbeard whined looking outright sad.

“But… why?” Mottlelottle asked.

“I don’t pick fights I don’t know I can win,” Harmon replied before turning back to Vandham. “You, merc! What’s your name?”

“The name’s Vandham,” Vandham replied resting his remaining scythe on his shoulder.

“Vandham, huh…? I’ll remember that…” Harmon said as the remaining conscious pirates climbed the rope ladders. He jumped up grabbing ahold of a ladder himself just as the second titan ship started to draw away. “I’m sure we’ll meet again!” Harmon called down.

Vandham frowned. He then glanced around finding Log testing one of the unconscious pirates by delivering a hard kick to his side. “You’re just going to let them go?” Log said as their eyes met.

“Well, it’s not really aur job to arrest pirates,” Vandham replied. He glanced around the deck. “Plus, I think we’ve half the crew anyways.”

“I suppose so,” Log replied running his fingers through his hair. “I just hope we have enough rope.”

After a short while, the crew had the pirates restrained and lined up along the bow of the ship. Despite Roc’s complaining, Vandham had volunteered to stand guard in case one tried to escape before they could be turned over to the soldiers in town. 

“Seem like Vandham always keeping Tok Tok in debt,” a little grey nopon with glasses said as he walked up from behind. “Not sure if that mean Tok Tok lucky or unlucky,” he said laughing.

“Don’t mention it,” Vandham tried to say nonchalantly but was betrayed by his wide grin. It always felt good to help the little guy. Vandham looked at the approaching harbor. They were close enough that he could now make out the people working the dock.

“Ship making port, soon,” Tok Tok said standing next to Vandham. “Tok Tok thinking need hire protection for journey back. Not trust waters if have pirates in broad daylight,” he continued. “At least until get back to Voltis.”

“Sounds good to me,” Vandham replied. He scratched his head knowing the nopon didn’t want to hear what he was about to say. “You might wanna go for numbers. That Harmon guy was tougher than he looked.”

Tok Tok sighed. “Tok Tok only choice is who rob: Pirates or Mercenaries.”

Vandham wasn’t sure what to say to that. Luckily, Roc swooped down and landed next to them. “I’m thinking I’ll fly ahead and alert someone of our… cargo…” he said pointing at the pirates lined against the wall.

Having someone waiting at the dock for the prisoners sounded good to Vandham, so he waved his blade off. “Sounds good. Doesn't look like any of ‘em uhll be wakin’ any time soon,” Vandham replied.

Once the boat moored, most other passengers disembarked leaving Vandham, Roc, and Log to assist with the prisoners. It seemed like an eternity to Vandham, but once the constable took their statements, they were finally free to leave.

“Guess I’ll be seein’ ya or whatever,” Vandham said walking off toward the large estate on the hill overlooking the town. He waved back at the salvager not particularly concerned if they never met again.

“Especially if you’re heading in that direction,” Log remarked dryly.

“Eh?” Vandham asked stopping.

“I’ve got business in that direction,” Log replied flatly as he trailed after him. Vandham grunted then turned back to the street ahead.

The small town was abuzz with people. The port seemed to be the main focus, but restaurants and shops lined the main street along with a number of farmers tending stands. From what Vandham could see, the town seemed to be nearly exclusively gormotti and nopon, so their motley group garnered more than a few stares. Vandham ignored them and instead watched a row of eks tied to a water trough.

“They got that kind of thing in Tantal?” Vandham asked Log while pointing at the eks with his thumb.

Log glanced over and raised an eyebrow. “No, the closest we have are ellook, and they’re far from domesticated. Most Tantalese can’t afford to keep work animals.”

“I hear ya,” Vandham said with a frown. It was sort of the same way in Uraya, but garaffa ranches weren’t unheard of. “Seems like a good gig,” he said. “Better than farmin’ gromrice at least.”

“None of that is really my thing,” Log murmured drifting toward one of the stalls. He seemed to browse a line of hand-made children’s toys. He picked up and began to examine a stuffed turtle doll.

“So, dolls er your thing, then?” Vandham asked from behind with a sly grin.

Log glared back at him. “Mind your own business,” he snarled placing the doll back down.

A little taken aback, Vandham raised his palms in mock surrender. “Yeesh! Touchy!” he remarked.

Ignoring him, Log muttered something under his breath as he marched down the road ahead.

“What was that about?” Vandham asked turning to Roc.

“How should I know?” Roc replied with a shrug.

The three continued through the town with little fanfare. Eventually, the buildings began to grow farther apart as they reached the outskirts.

“I’m not sure I can get used to the bugs around here,” Log said swatting at something.

“I’m not complaining,” Roc squawked plucking a centipede off of a nearby tree and slurping it down.

Vandham chuckled when he saw Log turn a little green. He looked down as he felt something large land on his forearm. “Oi! ‘ave a look at this bugger,” Vandham said holding the giant stag beetle for Log and Roc to see as it crawled along the back of his hand. “An’ I thought the bugs in Uraya were big,” he added.

“That’s a four-course meal!” Roc said practically drooling. The beetle flew off Vandham’s hand and landed on a rock a short distance away. “Hey! Don’t let it get away!” Roc said.

Vandham rolled his eyes. “Yeah yeah, give me a sec,” he replied edging closer to the bug. Holding as still as possible, he stuck his tongue out and reached slowly for the insect. Suddenly, something jumped from the bushes and collided with Vandham’s forehead. Vandham groaned clutching his poor, abused noggin as the beetle flew away. He looked down to find a small Gormotti girl no older than, perhaps, ten glaring up at him and holding her own forehead.

“Are yah some sort of oaf?” she asked jumping to her feet. “Look what you’ve gone an’ done! I almost had it!” She pushed an accusatory finger at Vandham. Her white, frilled dress fluttered in the wind just past her knees.

“Me?!” Vandham cried pointing at himself as well.

“I don’t see any other mountainous brutes blockin’ the entire road,” the child replied waving her hands around.

Vandham gave a questioning look toward Log. “Me neither,” Log said with a shrug.

Vandham scowled. “Thanks…” he muttered sarcastically, then returned his attention to the child. “Look here, you little runt,” Vandham said. “Ah wasn’t the one that came flyin’ out from the bushes! YOU ran into ME!”

Glaring up at him, the girl opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted. “There you are!” a second Gormotti girl shouted as she darted up. Her tense ears relaxed a little as she approached resting gently on her knitted cap. Red hair flowed from beneath her cap draping across her collar. She wore loose-fit trousers and had a large, empty, straw bag slung across her shoulder. “What’d yah go runnin off fer?”

“Gwen! Yah should have seen the size of that beetle!” the first girl said grabbing the redhead by the shoulders. “If I had one that big, I’d never lose!” Vandham could swear he could see stars in her eyes.

The redhead frowned in disapproval. “I don’t see the charm in fightin’ bugs with a bunch of smelly boys.”

“At least I would have if it wasn’t fer this big buloofo!” the first girl said ignoring her friend’s remark and shoving her index finger into Vandham’s gut.

“I just’ told yah!” Vandham said growing a little irritated. “I ‘avan’t done anything, yah little shrimp!”

“I’d’ve had that bug if it weren’t fer you!” the girl in the white dress shot back. “So yah did to!”

“Nuh-uh!” Vandham replied.

“Yuh-huh!” the girl returned.

“Nuh-uh!” Vandham said again more forcefully.

“Yuh-huh!” the girl returned matching force.

The redhead sighed and pulled on the other girl’s arm. “Come on! Yah said you were gonna help me pick mushrooms not fights with the elderly. Apologize to this old man, and let’s go,” she said.

“O-old man?!” Vandham repeated jaw dropping. He spied Roc chuckling out of the corner of his eye and shot him a glare.

“Well, he started it,” the girl in the white dress said crossing her arms and frowning defiantly.

The redhead sighed again. “Mister,” she said addressing Vandham. Vandham blinked not sure what to expect. “I’m sorry fer my friend,” she said bowing her head. The gormotti in the white dress simply glared at Vandham and stuck her tongue out. The redhead shot the girl a sideways glance. “She’s clearly been raised by volffs.” the redhead added pointedly.

Vandham scratched the back of his head. He may be annoyed, but he certainly couldn’t refuse the apology of a child. “Uh… Don’t worry about it, lass. Youse just run along, then, eh?”

The redhead looked up and gave him a smile before grabbing her friend’s arm and hauling her away.

“You have quite the way with children,” Log said with a smirk.

“Quiet!” Vandham said glaring back. “How long you plannin’ on following us, eh?”

“I’m not following you. If you haven’t noticed already, it seems we’re going to the same place,” Log replied pointing toward the estate.

Vandham squinted as the implication dawned on him. “Wait, does that mean we’re gonna be workin’ together?” he asked. Vandham’s shoulders sagged. He really didn’t like this guy.

“Don’t look so dismal, chum, or I might think you were enjoying my company.” Log muttered dryly. Vandham sighed.

They continued to make their way to the estate on the hill in silence. When they arrived, they passed through a well-tended garden, and came upon a large set of wooden doors.

“I’m going to look at this place from the air,” Roc said and shot off into the sky.

Vandham scratched his head and looked around. He didn’t see anyone, and he hadn’t seen anyone on the way through the garden. “Should we knock?” he asked turning to Log.

Log raised an eyebrow. “Unless you plan to summon someone using ESP, I don’t see why not.”

Vandham grunted. He could do without the sarcasm. Turning, he pounded his big fist on the great wooden doors. The heavy wood rattled a lot but didn’t produce a lot of sound. After a moment or so, he stopped and the grounds fell silent. The anticipation of meeting with his new employer made Vandham bounce on his toes as he waited. After a minute or so of that silence, he again turned to Log. “Yah think they heard? Should I knock harder?” he asked.

“If you knock any harder, they might think you’re trying to break in,” Log replied. “Give it some time.”

Vandham sighed and settled on watching Roc circle around above them.

After a few minutes, Vandham heard the sound of the latch being undone. A gormotti poked her head from inside. She glanced over the motley pair before opening the door fully. “An Urayan an’ a Tantalese? Yah must be the guests my lordship is expectin’!” she said excitedly as she placed her palms together. “Come in! Come in!” she said as she motioned for them to enter. 

Log gave Vandham a quick glance then strode ahead. Vandham followed. As the maid was about to close the door, Roc landed right in front of her. The maid yelped and scurried a few steps inside.

“Sorry,” Roc said clearly a little amused.

The maid paused as she looked back up at Roc. “Is this yer blade?” she asked Vandham wide-eyed. Vandham nodded. “She’s very pretty,” the maid added turning back.

“Thank you,” Roc replied while making no attempt to correct the pronoun. He instead fluffed his feathers and gave a bow. He then scooped a flower out of a nearby vase made a small whirlwind to suspend it midair. The maid giggled in excitement.

“Ain’t that just wonderful?” the maid said. Vandham rolled his eyes. He knew Roc would eat up any attention if given an audience.

When Roc had finished showing off, the maid led them through the halls. The house seemed quite old to Vandham, but it also seemed very well taken care of. The decadence of the estate was not something he was accustomed to. Even the floors were nicer than what he was used to, yet the wood gave it a coziness that Urayan homes didn’t seem to have. He caught glimpses of a lovely courtyard through the windows as he passed and absently wondered if the portraits hanging between them were of previous owners. If they were, the estate must have been standing for quite some time. The maid came to a stop at another set of wooden doors; though, these were smaller and less ornate than the front doors. “Yah may wait here for his lordship to return. I’ll bring yah all some tea,” she said as she opened them and ushered them in.

They entered what appeared to be a large study. The shelves were lined with books, and a stately desk stood at the center of the room. Sunlight filtered in through the single, large window, and a pair of plush, armu leather armchairs had been positioned on either side. In one sat an elderly man scribbling on a notepad with a quill. He looked up at them, and Vandham spotted a scar running down the side of his face. This wasn’t the Gormotti Lord who had hired him, so Vandham simply gave a curt nod. The man returned the nod before returning to his notepad without a word.

Log made his way toward the front side of the desk. He took the guest chair and pulled his own notebook from his pouch. Vandham, having no notebook of his own, marched toward the second armchair and collapsed into it. The old man gave him a brief look, but Vandham paid it no mind as he sunk into the criminally comfortable armchair. Roc, meanwhile, loitered near the door. Vandham knew he was waiting for the compliments to come back. Not knowing how long they would be waiting, Vandham closed his eyes.

He was nearly asleep when the door swung open once again, and a tall gormotti man with a muscular build entered. Vandham knew him as the Lord of Echell, Count Erdrick.

“Good, everyone is here,” Lord Erdrick said rounding the desk to take his seat opposite Log. “I’ve kept you all in the dark as much as possible, so I’m certain each of your own questions, but I’m glad you could make it, regardless.” Lord Erdrick swiveled the chair and leaned a bit onto the desk. “I suppose I should introduce you all, first. As you know, I’m Erdrick of Echell. This…” he held his hand up to motion toward Log, “...is Eulogimenos, our salvaging expert.”

“‘You la what’?” Vandham asked confused.

Log sighed. “Just ‘Log’ is fine,” he said.

“Log, then,” Lord Erdrick said with a grin. He then turned to the old man. “This is Cole, our historian and archeological expert.” The old man still remained silent, so Vandham sat up to await his turn. “And finally, Vandham,” Lord Erdrick said motioning toward him. “He’s here to keep us safe if something goes wrong.” The lord reclined back in his chair before catching sight of Roc. “Oh, and let’s not forget your blade! What was his name again?”

“I’m Roc. Always have been; always will be,” Roc chimed in.

“Roc,” Lord Erdrick repeated with another grin. He swept his eyes across the group. “I’m looking forward to the five of us working together. Let’s get straight to business, shall we. I would offer you all something to drink, first, but it seems my maid is still preparing it.” As if on cue, the doorknob turned. “Or not!” Lord Erdrick said as his ears perked up and his smile widened.

**Author's Note:**

> This story will feature irregular updates. There's a reason for that, but I'll explain in more detail once I post chapter 2. I plan to add the remaining character tags at that point as well.


End file.
